A Faraway Land 2: The Search
by Aurora Mandeville
Summary: Now that things are finally getting back to somewhat normal in Cedar Grove, MK turns her attention to helping Jack Frost find his wife and child, but in doing so, uncovers more than what she bargained for. All characters belong to their respective owners. Previous - /s/11430569/1/A-Faraway-Land-1-The-Spell
1. Prologue

Rapunzel hummed a soft tune as she went around the house dusting, checking on her sleeping baby every now and then. Her face seemed to be full of light, the joyous smile never faltering. Today was their first year anniversary! Being with Jack, and now little JJ, made her the happiest she had ever been. A sound at the front made her heart jump, he was back!

"Jack!" She rushed to the front, and paused.

"Weren't expecting me, were you, sweetheart?"

"Gothel?"

"Oh, come now, what happened to Mother?"

"Because you are not my real mother! Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave or . . ."

"Or what? Hit me with your frying pan? You really haven't changed much, have you? Besides, I don't think you would want to do that, if you want to keep your baby." Rapunzel gasped as Gothel turned her around. There, in the hall, stood Pitch Black, holding the surprisingly still sleeping JJ.

"No!"

"You are coming with us, or the Boogieman here will take your child faster than a snowflake can melt. Am I clear, Rapunzel?"

Rapunzel sighed, tears starting to form in her eyes, "Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Y-yes . . . mother."

"Ah, that's more like it. Let's go." Pitch's shadows wrapped around the four, and they disappeared without a trace.


	2. Jamie's Request

Jamie's head came around the corner, "Hey Mom, got a sec?" MK glanced up from her suitcase, she had been unpacking her clothes in her new room.

"I guess, what is it, kid?"

"Um, can I help you and Jack find Rapunzel and JJ?"

MK eyed her son, "Whatever for?"

"Well, I've been thinking, there might be a clue in the book."

"Already ahead of you, kid, I checked. Nothing, the only clue we have is what Rapunzel left at Jason's, I mean, Justin's house. And it's a good thing I took those pictures, because he's not going to let us back in."

"Even though you guys told him Jack knows it wasn't his fault?" MK nodded. Jamie winced, "Ow, man, what's his real problem, then, if it's got nothing to do with Jack thinking he kidnapped Rapunzel?"

MK shrugged, "I don't know, but I have a feeling we'll be finding out sooner or later. Though, I'd rather find out now what your real reason is for wanting to help." She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at her son. Jamie smiled sheepishly as he sat down next to her.

"Well, I really, really want to help Jack get back his happy ending . . ."

"And?"

"And I really, really want to spend more time with you . . ."

"And?"

"And I really, really, want to see more of the U.S. . . ."

"And?"

"Seriously?" MK crossed her arms, though a smile was beginning to curl her lips. Jamie sighed, "Oh, fine, I really, really, want to see the place where you and dad were going to live." MK's face went blank, out of everything her son could have wanted, she wasn't expecting this. "We don't have to go, if it brings back too many bad memories."

MK shook her head, "No, we can go visit our old house. It's time I looked at it differently. Who knows, maybe you'll notice something that I had missed."

"And we'll find out exactly what happened to dad!"

"Yup. But, if you're going to help, you have to finish all of your homework before you do anything else, got it?"

"What? But mom!"

"No buts, that's the deal, take it or leave it."

Jamie sighed, "Fine, I'll take it."

"Deal?"

"Deal." He shook hands with his mom to finalize the decision.

"Alright, and I'm going to leave your grandma in charge of making sure you got your homework done to her full satisfaction."

"What? Why does it have to be grandma? Why can't it be grandpa?"

"Because grandma is your teacher, and because I know you'll figure out some way of working a deal with your grandpa so you won't have to do all of it." Jamie groaned. "Jamie, I'm not stupid."

"I know, I was just hoping you wouldn't notice." MK glanced at him, trying not to smile.

"Well, I obviously did notice, which means you are going to have to do your homework before you can even think of helping us find Rapunzel and JJ, got it?"

Jamie sighed, "Got it."

"Good. Well, since today is Saturday, and I know you got your homework done this week, we can go ahead and start today . . ."

"Yay!"

"After I'm finished unpacking."

"OK! I'll have everything set up in the living room!" exclaimed Jamie before he rushed out. MK could only sigh and shake her head, though a soft smile was apparent on her lips. Maybe they would be able to find the answers to both mysteries with the help of his keen eyes. He had been the one who figured out what was going on in Cedar Grove and got MK there. She turned back to unpacking while her mind turned back to the events of the past several weeks. Thanks to Jamie finding her, she had gone from a nonbeliever to a believer in magic, broke a spell, freed the dragons, found her parents, got her never-aging parents back together, was hired as the town detective under Sheriff Woody, and moved in with her parents at her dad's house, Astrid having moved in with Eret in his apartment. On top of that, Hiccup was being asked to act as Mayor since Mavis had gone into hiding, and she had not come forward to resign. And now Jack Frost, the Jack Frost, wanted her to help him find his wife and son, having been so patient for the past couple of weeks while everything got sorted out. She let out a breath, she had made a deal with him, with magic, they were planning on finding Jack's son and Jamie's father. JJ had no doubt grown up outside of Cedar Grove, meaning Jack had no clue what he looked like. Rapunzel, on the other hand, might still be hidden in Cedar Grove, so they would look for her first. MK stuffed her empty suitcase under her bed right as the doorbell rang.

"Jack's here!" Jamie's voice echoed through the house. MK rushed out to meet the family friend, her parents already welcoming him into the living room, where everything was set up as Jamie said he would. MK could practically feel the longing in Jack's eyes as he glanced over the pictures of his family set out on the coffee table. But his eyes snapped up to her when he heard her approach, his signature grin brightening up his face.

"So, MK, ready to go to town with this?"

MK rolled her eyes, but decided to play along, "Well where else would we go with this, the sea?" Jack grinned before bursting out laughing.

"I certainly hope not, at least the country, I think that's as far as this will go."

"Well, what about other cities in the U.S.?" quipped Jamie, not quite getting the joke.

Jack snickered before ruffling Jamie's hair, "We'll see, we'll see. So, uh, where should we start?"

MK sat down, ready for business, "Well, let's start with the obvious, your story in _A Faraway Land_ and the pictures Rapunzel left for us." The others promptly took seats, Jamie squatted between his mother and the coffee table, ready to hand out the book and the pictures. "Jamie, what can you tell us about Mother Gothel?" Jamie blinked in surprise, but quickly nodded once he understood, opening the book to the fairy tale Rapunzel.

"Well, Mother Gothel is obsessed with immortality and eternal youth, one reason why she didn't interfere with Jack's and Rapunzel's courtship. She probably thought that Jack held the key to both as he is immortal and eternally young, much like Rapunzel. However, Jack's immortality and eternal youth couldn't be passed to Gothel, unlike Rapunzel, whose glowing hair kept her young and alive." MK snuck a peek at Jack, his face became grim and his teeth clenched. "I think Gothel waited until after JJ was born before kidnapping Rapunzel again so she could see if JJ held the key to immortality and eternal youth, knowing who his parents were. But I guess he didn't since this dark guy took him from Rapunzel," noted Jamie, picking up the picture of Rapunzel and JJ being separated.

MK noticed a look pass over Jack's face, "You know who the guy is?"

Jack sighed, "Yeah, Pitch Black, better known as the Boogeyman."

"The Boogeyman?"

"Seriously?"

Jack shot Hiccup a look, "Yes, seriously."

"So what's the bone he's got to pick with you?" asked MK as she picked up the picture for a closer look.

Jack sighed, "Wherever fun is, fear runs away. I'm fun, Pitch is fear, I'm sure you can figure out the rest."

"So, in other words, Pitch wants to cover the world in fear and darkness, and because of you, he can't."

Jack cast a sideways grin at MK, "Basically." The grin disappeared as he glanced at the picture MK held. MK began to wonder if he was thinking some of the same things she was. Was JJ under Pitch's control? Did he escape? If so, where was he now? In fact, was he even still alive? MK glanced back at Jack, she truly hoped JJ was still alive, and that they would find him soon. But first things first, they had to find Rapunzel.


	3. The Search Begins

After dropping Jamie off at school on Monday, MK met up with Jack Frost at Sandy's. Jack shot her his signature grin when she approached him, but she could tell that there was fear, nervousness, and a hint of hope in his eyes. And he had every right to feel everything he was feeling, he had been waiting twenty-six years to find his wife and child. Were they alright? Had JJ in fact grown up? If so, what was he like now? And, of course, the question of the hour, and every hour, where were they now? Well, hopefully they were about to find out. Jack and MK walked into the store, and were greeted with a strange sound.

"What do you mean I should change my name back? What if Sandy really is my name?" There was a slight rustling sound. Jack cocked his head, his grin growing ever more mischievous. "Well, I'm keeping it, haven't been using it for twenty-six years to just stop. And of course Sandy's a girl's name! It was a girl's name before it became a boy's name!" More rustling. "It's short for Kassandra and Sandra, duh!" Jack and MK came upon the scene, the two Sandy's were glaring at each other. Jack burst out laughing, and even MK couldn't help but smile, the expressions on their faces was just priceless. Startled by the mirth, the Sandy's glanced at their visitors. "Eh, you've made it! I apologize for the argument, but my comrade here insists that I change my name to something else so he can be the only Sandy in town!" Sandy Carver glanced back at the Sandman, and the two glared at each other again for a few seconds before turning their attention back to Jack and MK.

Jack snickered, "But if you did that, you'd have to change the name of your store to The Dreamer and the Carver, and, I don't know about you, but that sounds like a bar name." MK snorted at that suggestion. However, the Dreamer and the Carver in question were not amused with the idea, and both rubbed their temples in frustration. "Sorry, sorry, but . . ."

"We know, Jack, we know, you're trying to find your family. It's not like we've been standing around here moping. We've been doing our hardest to find MK and your family. But MK was the first one to find any clues to the whereabouts of your family, so it really does feel like we're starting all over again at square one." MK sighed, she knew that feeling all too well.

"So, based on your investigation . . ."

"Well, we can certainly confirm that she's not anywhere outside of Cedar Grove. Sandy and I would take off some nights to check in various parts of the world, and after twenty-six years, we haven't found a single sign of her."

"And JJ?" The Sandy's glanced at each other, Sandman nodding.

"Yes, we did find JJ, and we were able to rescue him from Pitch. But we couldn't bring him back here, his mother was still missing and his own father didn't remember him. We left him at an orphanage and the next thing we know, he's being adopted. We visited him a few times for a couple of years before Sandy here felt the need to keep some distance, else Pitch would find him."

"Wait, you left him alone?"

"What did you think we are, stupid? Of course we didn't leave him alone! We enchanted some toys to keep an eye on him and to contact us if any sign of Pitch showed up."

"Did you ever see him again?"

"Oh yeah, when he graduated high school, he had to give away most of his toys, he couldn't keep them all, especially if he had to make a quick getaway if Pitch found out his location. It was pretty heartbreaking for the kid, it was pretty much his only connection to you, considering that most of the toys came from your shop. He gave most of the ones we gave him back to us, and gave the rest to an orphanage. The few he did take could pass off as collectibles and wouldn't take up as much room in his luggage."

"And that was it?"

"Well, there was that incident ten years ago . . ."

"What happened?"

"Pitch found him, and in order to get away, he pretended that he had died. Sandy and I got there just in time to fight Pitch, which apparently helped JJ get clean away and start over in a new town. Where he actually went, we don't know. He did contact us via the toys to tell us he was fine, but that he was going to lay low for awhile and would appreciate it if we didn't go looking for him."

"And you agreed?" The two nodded. "And what would happen if Pitch found him again?"

The witch grinned, "He'd be in for a big surprise. Part of the reason for that call was that JJ was realizing he had inherited some powers from you and Rapunzel. He didn't go into detail, but it had to do with light."

"Makes sense."

"That's what I said! He laughed and said that of course it did, his mom was the sun, his dad was the moon, and he was the stars." Jack nodded, he and Rapunzel used to joke about that. "Anyway, he primarily asked about what you and Rapunzel could do, so we told him everything. We also gave him a few pointers on how to experiment with his powers. He thanked us and told us he'd contact us if he needed anything else, and asked us not to look for him until then. Haven't heard from him since."

"So how do you know he's fine?" asked MK.

The witch shrugged, "The toys haven't contacted us, so it sounds like the kid has something of a life back. Though, that could all be shattered when you go find him."

"But at least we'll be united, and besides, I've got to find Rapunzel first."

"Well, she's got to be here in town somewhere, locked up in some cave-like place, probably under that spell again, which is why neither of us have been able to find her."

"Of course, because I'm the only one who can find her. You weren't able to find Rapunzel, but you were able to save JJ, and I can never thank you enough for looking after him."

"Hey, we were glad to have found one of the kids and made sure he was alright. And now we have MK. Two down, five to go."

"Not quite two yet, we still have to find out where JJ is now and bring him home," remarked MK.

"Right, and if anyone can find him, it'll be his dad."

"But first, his mom. Again, thanks for everything, we'll take it from here," smiled Jack as he shook hands with each of them.

"But of course! Anything to help out a friend!" The Sandman nodded in agreement. "And don't worry, while you look for Rapunzel, we'll keep an ear out for JJ. If he contacts us again, you'll be the first to know."

"Thanks you two, hopefully by the next time you see us, we'll have Rapunzel with us."

"Yeah, well, you won't be able to unless you get out there and look. Go, shoo!" Jack grinned and darted out of the store, followed not long afterwards by MK.

"Alright, what next?" asked MK.

"We're going to look through the entire town. Maybe there's another clue."

"OK, let's go then."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Town hall, I have an idea."


	4. Searching High

Jack and MK quickly looked through the boxes at city hall, but not one of them contained any information about a girl who looked like Rapunzel, or Gothel.

"That's odd, I would have thought there would have at least been something about Gothel here," muttered MK as they picked up the last box.

Jack nodded as he glanced back over the shelves, "I know what you mean. It was a good idea, MK, but it looks like Gothel is trying to keep Rapunzel hidden even harder this time."

MK shrugged, sighing, "Alright, well, since that idea bombed, what next? Do you have any ideas?"

"We should look into any of the most secluded areas of Cedar Grove for sure, Gothel would have her in the most unlikely, most unlooked in place."

"Like the tower in the Rapunzel story?"

"Yup, though, this time we're looking for a cave."

"But that cave was back on your world, here, in this world, she could end back up in a tower," pointed out MK.

Jack rubbed his chin, "You may be right, but, just to be on the safe side, let's get a list of the caves too."

"Right." They went straight to the library, where Mariposa helped them gather information about the town. Thankfully, there were only a few places that were rather secluded, but they enlisted the help of Merida, Hiccup, and Jamie. The first place they went to was a glade not far from where the DunBroch and Haddock farms stood, gaining the use of the DunBroch horses to travel there as the trees were too close for a dragon's wings.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel!"

"Jamie, sh! There's no use calling for her, she's probably under that sleeping spell again," muttered Jack.

"And we don't want Gothel to hear us," remarked MK.

"That too, Pitch gave her some powers. If she heard us coming, she'd move Rapunzel, and we'd have to look for her all over again."

"Oh, sorry."

Jack leaned over and ruffled Jamie's hair, "It's alright, I'm glad you're just as eager to find her as we are." The group rode on in silence, looking out for a cave, a tower, or even a cottage, spending both Saturday and Sunday looking. When they returned Sunday evening to the farm, they had come back empty. But their hopes were not dashed as they quickly set their sights on the next secluded location they would visit, another glade, just on the other side of Dream Lake. MK and Jack spent the time until the next Saturday planning the two day-search, finding out that the trees grew too close there as well for dragons to land. Jack and Jamie both were itching for Saturday to arrive, and when it did, they were practically bouncing off the walls with excited anticipation. MK had to calm them down long enough so they could finish getting the supplies on the dragons and get going, without forgetting anything. They finally took off for the glade, the dragons getting them there in a matter of minutes. After landing, Toothless and Morrigan walked with them for a ways before needing to stop, the trees so close that they could barely squeeze through. Once Merida and Hiccup petted their dragons, they continued with MK, Jamie, and Jack further into the forest. They wandered through the trees seemingly aimlessly, just walking around as quietly as possible so as not to alert Gothel to their presence. Their eyes were peeled for anything and everything, but it was Jack who saw it first.

"Th-the tower!" he gasped. Everyone looked to where he was pointing, there, as if plucked straight out of the fairy tale, stood Rapunzel's tower. Hiccup stepped up to stand next to his still friend.

"Come on, we'll check it out. You three stay here." Hiccup unsheathed his sword, an odd contrast to his plaid shirt and jeans, and led Jack towards the tower. With Jamie between them, MK and Merida had their bows at the ready. The two men approached the tower cautiously, checking their surroundings before disappearing into a hole on the side. No more than two minutes later, Hiccup was standing at the balconey, waving them in. The three dashed towards the tower and ducked into the hole. They raced up the stairs, only to find Jack kneeling on the floor, mementos scattered around him.

"Oh no," MK gasped softly as she got a closer look at the mementos. It looked like the pile of pictures, ribbons, candles, and unfinished ornaments was clabbering for Jack's attention while one ornament was nestled ever so gently in his hands. It almost looked like a face, the skin changing from light blue to dark with the sun as the right eye, the moon as the left, and a trail of stars curled into a smile.

Jack let out a shaky breath, "This, this was supposed to represent our family, I'm the moon, Punz is the sun, and JJ, and any other children we would have had are the stars. Now, now . . . it's like a cruel tease . . ."

Hiccup knelt next to him, "Jack, seeing this might hurt now, but we'll find them. You helped me get my family back, it's the least I can do for you."

Merida knelt too, "Besides, this could be a sign that you will get them back soon, maybe just in time for Christmas!"

Jack gave her a lops-sided grin, "That would be nice. Thanks guys, you're the best of friends a guy could have." He gave them a quick hug before turning his attention to the ornament. His eyes grew large, the old sparkle returning to them as he glanced around the tower.

Hiccup grinned, guessing at his friend's thoughts, "You're going to have this thing all ship-shape to welcome them back, right?"

Jack laughed, "You need to stop reading my thoughts."

"Well, if you weren't so easy to read," muttered Hiccup. Merida wacked his arm.

"Alright you two, enough. Let's head back to town and prepare to search another area. The faster we get this done, the quicker we'll find them both."

Jamie whooped, "We're on to the caves!" Everyone glanced at him questioningly. "Uh, these were the only two secluded areas above ground, now all we have to do is check the caves around here, Rapunzel has got to be in one of them."

Jack nodded, "He's right, there's nothing left but caves to search now."

"Alright, then let's get going, maybe we can do some quick searching tomorrow."

"Right!" The group followed Jamie out of the tower and back to the dragons, eager to start on the next leg of their search.


	5. Searching Low

Jack pretty much left MK to the preparations for the search of the first cave so he could straighten up the tower. Her family helped her out, usually around the dinner table.

"Think we're going to need some rope?" asked Hiccup before plopping a piece of steak in his mouth.

MK shrugged, "I don't think so, it doesn't say that these caves are very long, or deep. But it doesn't seem like these caves were very well explored, so . . ."

"So we'll bring some, just in case," stated Merida.

"And plenty of extra batteries for the flashlights!" blurted Jamie between mouthfuls.

Hiccup chuckled, "Of course, we can't forget those! We'd have to rely on the dragons' fire if we did, and from past experience, it's not exactly the best. Flashlights would work much better, until we need a fire, for which we'll need plenty of wood." MK nodded and wrote it down.

She picked up the paper, "Alright, we'll need food, of course, at least four bottles of water each, weapons, gloves, flashlights, plenty of batteries, at least twenty-five feet of rope, and some wood to start a fire. Anything else you can think of?"

Merida thought about it for a bit before replying with, "Well, depending on what kind of food we bring, we might need some pots and pans."

"Right, so let's make a list of the food."

"Makings for s'mores!" grinned Jamie.

"I second that notion," grinned Hiccup.

MK rolled her eyes as she flipped the paper and wrote it down, "Of course you would."

"Well, we wouldn't need pots or pans for s'mores."

"That's true."

"How about we make sandwiches, at least for lunches?"

MK nodded, "That's a good idea, and we can have some chips and carrot sticks on the side."

"Without ranch?"

"I don't see why we can't take some with us, Jack can keep it cool," suggested Merida.

"Alright, we'll get a thing of ranch too."

"Yes!" Jamie pumped his fist in the air.

"Should we do something different for dinner again, or just make sandwiches?"

"I think making sandwiches for all the meals would be the best, it would be easy to take care of, which would give us more time to look. Just, go ahead and add jerky and trail mix to the list, in case anybody wants a snack."

MK nodded, picking up the paper again once she finished writing, "Alright, sandwiches, chips, carrots, ranch dressing, jerky, trail mix, and s'mores for dessert."

"Yes!" Hiccup and Jamie high-fived each other.

MK smirked, "Alright you two, just don't get too enthusiastic, Dad might end up not liking s'mores."

"Mom! It's made from chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers, what's not to like about it?"

"Hey, don't worry about it, I'm just happy to finally get a taste of it. Though, MK, don't be too surprised if I do like it."

"Oh, there's no worry about it, you definitely will like it," smiled Merida.

"Alright, guess that part's settled, now all we need to do is get everything, and tell Jack."

"He actually left me a note this morning at with the two Sandy's along with some money, he said he'll be back in town on Friday and get the details then."

"Oh, OK, well, then, guess we just need to get the supplies and have everything ready to go by Friday. Sorry MK, looks like you'll have to do the packing all by yourself, for the most part, anyway."

MK shrugged, "That's alright, it'll give me something to do while we wait for the weekend, Jack has cleaning the tower, you have Mayor duties, mom's got teaching, and Jamie's got learning. Speaking of . . ."

"I know, I know, homework. Can't it wait until after dessert?"

"Alright, after dessert, but make it quick."

"Right!" Jamie enjoyed his dessert before racing off to do his homework, knowing that he had to have all of it, if not most of it, done before they left on Saturday. Thankfully, Saturday came pretty quickly, and it dawned with the group flying out to the first cave. MK had prepared to be able to at least begin a search of the second cave if the first was as small as the Sandy's said it was. As it turned out, the first cave was quickly explored before dinner time, letting them head out to the second cave and exploring a bit before having dinner.

"I don't know, I don't think she's here," muttered Jack as they wolfed down their sandwiches, chips, and carrots.

MK stopped mid-bite, "How can you tell?"

Jack shrugged, "I don't know, I guess . . . it seems darker here. If Gothel is still using Rapunzel's hair, it would seem lighter. I don't know, it's kinda hard to describe."

"But you just did," Hiccup pointed out slowly.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Not physically lighter, numskull, Gothel doesn't use it every day. It's, it's like there's a sense of sunlight still evident in the air surrounding it, almost how like there can be invisible electricity or invisible water."

"It's not invisible, it's just so small you can't see it," blurted Jamie before he burst into a grin at the adults' surprised faces. "I can hold that over you, right? That I know something you don't?"

Hiccup gave him a noogie, "Nope, just because you've had time to learn more about the scientific advances doesn't mean anything. There are still lots of things we know."

"Like?"

"Like how to ride a dragon, or drive a car."

"But you don't know how to drive a car."

"Hey, I'm learning, which means I still know more than you." Jack began to snicker as MK did her best to hide a smile.

Merida sighed, "OK you two, knock it off. Let's talk about something else."

"Ooh, I know! Jack can tell us the story of Rapunzel! Or, well, you could read it," Jamie grinned sheepishly as he took out _A Faraway Land_.

"Jamie! I don't think that's a good idea!" MK berated her son. Hiccup and Merida glanced at Jack, the same thoughts running through their head, would he really want to relive that, even if they could be really close to finding Rapunzel?

"What? Maybe by reading it, he might remember a clue that could help us!"

Jack's eyes widened, "I hadn't thought of it like that!" He grabbed up the book from Jamie, and began to read.


	6. The Cave?

As soon as Jack finished reading the story, Jamie jumped up, excitement written all over his face.

"The cave!" The adults glanced at him quizzically.

"What cave, Jamie?" asked MK.

"The one where you and Grandpa found the dragons! It hasn't been fully explored, and there's certainly more underneath the town if it could fit all of the dragons!"

MK's eyes widened, "You might be onto something!"

Jack jumped up, "Then let's go!"

"Wait, Jack!" Hiccup shouted, but the winter sprite had already taken off.

"Ugh, come on, we'd better follow him before he does something stupid," muttered Merida as she climbed onto Morrigan. Hiccup sighed as he mounted Toothless with Jamie getting on behind him and MK behind Merida. The two dragons took off and quickly caught up with Jack, the group landing just outside of Gobber's smithy. Hiccup knocked on the door twice before the blacksmith opened.

"Eh, what's up Hiccup? Come to have dinner with an old friend?"

"Actually, Gobber, we need to get to the underground cavern. Could you open the doors, please?"

"At this hour?"

Jack approached the door, "Please Gobber? Rapunzel might be down there!"

Gobber's eyes widened, "Really? You think so?" Jack and Hiccup nodded. "Well, why didn't you say so! Let me opene them real quick."

"Um," began Hiccup before the door was slammed in his face. He glanced at Jack, "I think we just did tell him."

Jack shot him a lopsided grin, "He hasn't changed much, has he?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Not really." The creaking of large doors caught their attention and glanced up, the top of the smithy was opening up. Hiccup dashed to Toothless and got back on as they waited for the doors to slowly open. Jack began to fidget as he waited impatiently. It was only a few minutes later that Gobber reopened the door.

"Alright, you're good to go!"

"Thank you!" shouted Jack before shooting off for the large door, the dragons and their riders not far behind. They zipped down, passing through two other sets of doors before reaching the large, dark cavern. Toothless and Morrigan let loose a fireball each, illuminating the cavern for a bit. But Jack's staff glowed brightly enough that they could tell he had stopped for bit and glanced around before taking off. The dragons followed quickly and nimbly, their night vision and familiarity with the cavern enough for them to avoid obstacles and keeping up with Jack. It didn't take long for them to reach the tree, where Jack paused, glancing around with panic.

"I-I can't sense her," he stammered.

"But she's got to be here, it's the only place that makes sense. Besides, Jack did say that Gothel is no doubt trying harder to keep her hidden."

Jack let out a breath, "Right, here goes."

"Uh, here goes what?" asked Hiccup.

In a loud and clear voice, Jack began to sing, "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine."

Jamie gasped and pointed, "Look!" A golden light shone in the distance, growing stronger with every word that Jack sang. The group rushed towards the light as Jack continued to sing.

"Heal what has been hurt, change the fates design, save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine." Jack paused, there she was, lying in a four-poster bed, her long, golden, glowing hair encircling the bed. Jack drew closer and sat on the bed, whispering the final part of the song as he touched her face, "What once was mine." He bent over and kissed her as her hair began to dim, but a wave of rainbow colored lights emitted from the kiss, bringing a bit of light to the cavern. As Jack sat up, a pair of green eyes opened and widened at the sight of her love.

"Jack!" Rapunzel sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Chuckling, he brought her in for another kiss.

"Hey Goldilocks, ready to get out of here?"

Rapunzel scoffed, "Are you kidding?" Jack laughed as he held out his hand to her and helped her off the bed.

Jamie let out a whoop, "We found Rapunzel!" Rapunzel let out a little shriek and hid behind Jack when she noticed the dragons.

"Hey, it's alright, they're friends of mine, they were helping me find you."

"They, they were?"

Hiccup alighted Toothless and approached the couple, stating, "Yeah, after everything that Jack's done for us, it felt like it was the least we could do."

Rapunzel glanced at Jack, "Really?"

Jack merely grinned, "Rapunzel, this is Hiccup Haddock the third, Chief of Berk, and his dragon, Toothless." Hiccup shook hands with Rapunzel as Merida, MK, and Jamie approached. "This is his wife Merida, princess of Scotland, and her dragon Morrigan."

"Hi," smiled Rapunzel as she shook hands with Merida.

"Hello."

And this is Mary Katherine, or MK for short, and her son Jamie."

"Hi, nice to meet you all. Thank you for looking after Jack." The group glanced at each other and burst out laughing. "Um . . ."

"Sorry Rapunzel, but it felt like Jack was looking more after us than we did over him," Hiccup finally managed to say.

"Oh, wow, you did?" Rapunzel asked as she turned to Jack.

"Yeah, I guess so. Come on, we'd better get out of here before it gets too dark."

"Have you found JJ?" Jack glanced at her, a grim line forming in his lips.

"The Sandman did," blurted MK.

"Really? That's great! We'll be together again!"

"Um, Rapunzel?"

"I can't wait to . . . what?"

"Um, there's a lot I have to tell you . . ."

"What? What is it Jack? Did something bad happen?"

"Um, well, we've been under a spell for the past twenty-six years and . . ."

"Wait, twenty-six, how is that possible?"

Jack sighed, "MK."

"What about MK?"

"She's twenty-six."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Rapunzel, MK is Hiccup's and Merida's daughter."

Rapunzel opened and closed her mouth several times before she asked, "A-and JJ?"

"He's twenty-eight now," Jack whispered. Rapunzel grabbed a hold of Jack's arm as she swayed for a bit.

"H-how?"

"Punz, let's go home, I'll explain it to you once we're there." MK bit her lip, she had a notion that Jack was going to use the town to help Rapunzel understand what was going on, and would probably need a few days to accomplish it.

"A-alright, let's go." The group flew out, introducing Rapunzel to Gobber real quick before separating to head to their homes. As MK's head hit the pillow, she wondered how Rapunzel was taking the news. But there was some hope, JJ was still alive, all they had to do was to find him, before Pitch did, again.


	7. Part One

It was a few days later that Jack and Rapunzel finally emerged from their house, just in time for an important gathering. But from the look that passed between Sandy and Jack, MK realized that the little fellow told Jack about it. She also noticed that Rapunzel's hair was now in a thick braid that almost touched the ground. MK raised an eyebrow, how were they able to fit all that hair in that braid? But her attention was soon diverted for the town had noticed them as well, and began murmuring. Just about the whole town had gathered at the town's outskirts, where a shimmering wall seemed to separate them from the rest of the world.

"Hello! Can I get everyone's attention please! Hey!" When no one really paid any attention to the Sandy's, Hiccup leaned over and whispered something to Toothless. The dragon let out a roar, followed by a fireball straight at the shimmering wall. The fireball seemed to disappear into the wall, causing everyone to gasp. "Well, thank you, Hiccup." Hiccup gave a nod, but the witch quickly spoke again now that she had everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming today! As you have already noticed, Jack Frost has found Rapunzel!" A cheer went up from the crowd as they offered congratulations and crowded around to officially meet the blonde. Another roar from Toothless calmed the crowd down. "Thank you, however, Jack and Rapunzel still need to find their son. He has been living on the outside of this wall for the past twenty-six years, so he's all grown-up now, just like MK." The crowd began to murmur again. "Now, MK, Jamie, Sandy, Mavis, and myself, are the only ones who can pass this wall without any repercussions. Before you got your memories back, whoever tried to cross the border got seriously injured. No one has tried to cross it since MK broke that spell, so we don't know what the repercussions are now. Jack and Rapunzel have to find their son, but Sandy and I need to know what might happen so we can prepare a spell for them to cross over."

Audrey raised her hand, "But what if we cross over, and we lose our memories again?"

"Sandy and I have made a potion that can bring back a person's memory, we tried it on Astrid before MK broke the spell." Astrid nodded. "However, if it is losing memories, we might need all of Tooth's feathers we currently have to make sure they can get across. You might have to wait a couple of months before we get more feathers from the Tooth Fairy, but it can be done. So, who would like to volunteer? Who wouldn't mind living a few months without their memories?" The crowd murmured, and MK began to worry, why would anyone just up and cross over if they didn't know what was going to happen, much less lose their memories again?

"I'll do it," stated Audrey.

"What? No, I'll do it," Nod quickly stated as he stood between her and the wall.

"No, I'll do it," blurted Ted as he stood next to Nod, the two shooting glares at each other.

"What? No!" Red Puckett marched up to Ted and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him away from the wall. "You get back here, Ted. Who's going to help me keep our grandmothers out of trouble? I can't keep an eye on both of them."

"What? But . . ."

"No buts, they're back into extreme sports! If they had lost their memories and kept to snooping around town for juicy gossip, OK, but . . ."

"Well, then one of us old folks should go over," stated Grandma Puckett.

"What?"

"It's a possibility, except for you, Onceler, you need to keep trying to contact the Lorax," Gramma Norma told the tall hat-maker.

The Onceler put up his hands, "I wasn't even considering it, Norma."

"And definitely not Gothi either, we're going to need her help," blurted Sandy.

"Gobber?" gasped Astrid. Gobber had placed his keys in Eret's hand and strode towards the wall.

"Wait, Gobber, what are you doing?" asked Hiccup.

"Well, at the rate everyone else is going, we're going to be here another year! Might as well be me, I can live without my memories for a few months, I've been without them for twenty-six years already. What's a few more months?" he shrugged.

"But, Gobber . . ."

"No buts, Hiccup, I've made up my mind, Eret will have to take care of the smithy while I'm out of commission."

"Out of . . . but you could just be losing your memories."

Gobber shrugged, "Then hit me or something, put me in the hospital, then I'll really be out of commission." Before they could say another word, Gobber had crossed the boundary. Everyone watched with baited breath, nothing particularly bad happened, he was still standing. The two Sandy's moved towards him slowly, unsure of how they should proceed.

"G-Gobber?" asked Hiccup, getting as close to the wall as he could without touching it.

"George?" asked Sandy. Gobber turned and glanced at her.

"Why, hello Sandy! Look at this, I'm on the other side of the border, and nothing bad has happened to me! But, uh, why am I out here?" Hiccup sucked in a breath, Gobber had lost his memories.

"Oh, oh dear, seems to me that something bad has happened, George, you might be losing your memory. Are you absolutely sure you don't remember why you crossed the border?" Gobber shook his head, confusion written all over his face, more so when he turned and saw the crowd.

"Um, no, no I d-don't," he muttered as the two Sandy's led him back into the town.

"Well, if that's the case, uh, Dr. Lupei, could you see this gentleman to the hospital and do some tests on him?"

Dracula bowed, "Of course, come this way, George."

"Why Doc, you're looking awfully pale."

"Yes, things have been . . . rather interesting as of late."

"Should I know about it?"

"Yes, but let's take those tests before I try to explain everything."

"Oh, uh, OK, but first, um . . . wait, where are my keys?"

Eret held them up, "You gave them to me, Mr. Goodwin."

Gobber blinked, "Uh, OK, well, take care of the smithy, I'll be back as soon as I can!"

"Will do!" Gobber nodded before he and Dracula headed towards the hospital.

"Well, that answers that question, you will lose your memories if you cross the border. Well, thank you all for coming, have a nice day, and we'll let you know the progress on the potion and the search for Jack and Rapunzel's son!" The crowd dispersed, murmuring over the day's events as they went back about their business. "Well, that answers that. Sorry about Gobber, Hiccup, but if we have any feathers left after working on the potion for Jack and Rapunzel, we'll get started on making the potion to get his memories back."

"Thanks Sandy," Hiccup smiled sadly. Jack patted his friend's back reassuringly before turning to the Sandy's.

"Do you have any ideas on how to make this potion?"

"We have a few ideas, but we are going to need something to sprinkle it on, something you'll have to wear all the time."

"Oh, um . . ."

Rapunzel gasped, "I know! I'll make scarves! It'll be perfect for the chilly weather!"

Jack pulled her close and gave her a mischievous grin, "Are you saying something about winter, Goldilocks?"

Rapunzel fiddled with his jacket strings as she smirked, "Only that you can't wear scarves in the summer. Seems like such a loss, don't you think?"

"Is that so?"

"Is that seriously how you two flirt?" blurted Jamie. The couple glanced at the nine-year-old in surprise before noticing the surprise on the faces of their audience.

"Well you two are certainly a match made in heaven," mumbled Sandy before rolling her eyes. The Sandman and Gothi seemed to snicker. "If you're going to do the scarves, then Sandy, Gothi, and I will get started on the potion."

Jack chuckled, "Alright, thanks, and yes, we'll do the scarves." He grinned at Rapunzel.

Sandy nodded, "Alright, then we'll contact you when we've got something. Talk to you later!" With that, the trio walked away, the group not far behind, each person preparing for the upcoming trip.


	8. Close Call

While Gothi and the Sandy's worked on the potion to protect Jack and Rapunzel from losing their memories, Jack got the key to the art studio so that Rapunzel could start her own little business. The two needed something to do while they waited since Gothi and the Sandy's wanted to work by themselves. Rapunzel primarily just cleaned up for the first couple of days, the store was a dusty mess. Jack would come in and help after closing up his shop, telling her about the town as they cleaned and showing her how to use modern technology. However, he didn't tell her about Justin, a mistake as he quickly found out.

It was Friday, nearly a full week since Rapunzel had been awakened, and Rapunzel decided to open the store for a little bit to sell some of the things she had; candles, scarves, art supplies, and a few ornaments. She had a couple of curious customers, but she cleaned for the most part as it was fairly quiet. It was particularly quiet when an orange-haired young man entered.

"Oh, hello! Are you looking for anything?" Rapunzel asked when he entered.

"Maybe," he muttered, glancing around at the store, anything but her eyes. "Nice store."

"Thank you, it's not quite done yet, but Jack thought I should get started selling things."

"Jack, as in, Jack Frost?"

Rapunzel nodded brightly, "Yes, you know him?"

"I-I used to."

"Really? Who are you, if you don't mind my asking? Jack's been telling me about everyone he's met in town."

"Oh, he wouldn't have mentioned me."

"Are you sure? I mean, he hasn't been able to tell me about everyone he has met, he's met so many people! But, you could have been one of the people he has mentioned, there's just been a rush of information lately that it's hard to keep track of!" she laughed. She picked up a cell phone, "For instance, all this technology! Jack had to show me five times how to work a cell phone! This is amazing, don't you think?"

"I'm Justin," he blurted.

Rapunzel blinked, "Oh, I'm so sorry, where are my manners? I'm Rapunzel, nice to meet you!" She held out her hand, but returned it to her side when he refused to shake it. In fact, she was starting to get very uneasy with the cold way he was looking at her. "Um, is everything alright, Justin?"

"Why does he get everything back, but not me?" he whispered as he took a step towards her.

"Wh-what do you mean? What are you talking about?" asked Rapunzel as she took a step back, holding the cell phone close to her chest.

"You really don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?"

"The witch taking you to my house, but then you were only there one night, and you probably didn't get a good look at me, you only painted my back."

Rapunzel blinked before her eyes widened, "That was your house?" Justin nodded. "What, what happened?"

"I had just wanted to help him, we were friends. But he refused it. He was selfish, cruel, like his heart had been frozen." He glanced at her, sorrow and anger swirling around like a storm in his eyes. "It seems he felt it necessary for everyone to feel his pain . . ." He paused, considering her with cold disdain. "And took my happy ending away from me."

Rapunzel's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped, "Oh no, Jack, what have you done?"

"Horrifying, isn't it? He's not all fun and games, there's a dark side to him, a cruel side. Funny, it seems that by releasing just a small taste of that dark side, he opened the door to my dark side. Wonder how he'd feel if you were harmed . . ." He opened his jacket and took out a knife. Rapunzel let out a gasp and made a mad dash towards the door, but Justin intercepted, the knife hitting the wall just inches from her face. With a shriek, Rapunzel turned the other way, tossing some art supplies at Justin to slow him down. She ducked into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it just as he got to the door. Rapunzel backed up to the farthest wall as Justin hit on the door. Her hand tightened around something, she glanced down, the cell phone! She quickly flicked on the light and rushed back to the far wall, looking for Jack's number. She hit dial as soon as she found it and put up to her ear.

"What, missing me already, Sunshine?" cooed Jack when he picked up.

"Jack! Please help!"

"Punz, what's going on?"

"Th-there's a man in the studio, h-he's trying to kill me."

"What?"

"H-he said his name is Justin, and . . ."

"Hang on, I'm on my way!"

"Jack? Jack!" She glanced at the phone, he had hung up on her. A bang at the door startled her. "Please, Jack, hurry," she whimpered. There were several more bangs at the door before it went still. Breathing hard, Rapunzel listened for any sound, any indication that Justin had left. When she didn't hear anything after a bit, she slowly, cautiously stepped towards the door, unlocked it and began to open it slowly. Someone began pushing on the door. Rapunzel let out a shriek as she began to push back.

"Punz, it's me!"

"Jack!" The door flew open and she fell into his arms, sobbing. "Oh Jack!"

"Hey, hey, it's alright, it's over, you're safe now," he whispered as he held her tight.

"Jack."

"Yes?"

"He, he said you took his happy ending away after, after you refused his help."

Jack blinked, "What? He offered to help me with what?"

It was Rapunzel's turn to blink, "Help look for me."

"I didn't see him, I went straight to the other Guardians for help."

"But, he was telling the truth."

"I believe you, I believe him too."

"But if you're telling the truth, and so is he . . ."

Jack sighed, "I don't know Punz, I don't know who Justin really saw. But I know he'd tell the truth. I think we need to contact our local detectives and see what they have to say. "

"But Jack, the studio, your shop!"

"They can wait, we need to figure out what's going on, and fast, there could be an evil greater than Pitch behind all of this. Come on." He grabbed her hand and they walked out of the studio, got into the car, and zoomed off towards the apartments.


	9. Hating Winter

Hiccup and MK glanced at Jack and Rapunzel in surprise, startled by the events that had taken place. Jack and Rapunzel seemed to return the gaze calmly, but their hearts were racing and held hands rather tightly. The four were gathered in the Mayor's office, Jack having wanted to tell them right away.

"So, now what?" asked Hiccup, glancing between the other three.

Jack glanced at MK, "Maybe you could find out from Justin what exactly happened? What he saw, what he heard? I know it's not much to go on, but, maybe you could figure out something based on what Justin can tell you."

"I can't be sure that he'll even talk to me."

"At least try, that's all I'm asking," stated Jack.

MK sighed, "OK, I'll try, no guarantee."

Jack smiled, "Thanks MK, you're the best."

"Yeah, well, I am the only detective in town," quipped MK as she walked out. Letting out a breath, she got into her car and drove around the town for a bit before heading out to the farm. She really had no problem talking to Justin, but what Jack and Rapunzel told her kind of unnerved her. This guy was getting dangerous. She patted her holster, she was glad she always kept her gun nearby. She found Justin fairly quickly, he was working away at some crops, almost like he had never stepped foot into town. MK shivered as she parked the car, she knew Rapunzel and Jack had been telling the truth, it was evident on their faces. They had tried to act calm, but she saw the fear in Jack's eyes of nearly losing Rapunzel again. Justin glanced up as she got out of her car and paused in his work as she approached. She gulped, he knew why she was there.

"Hello detective, come to arrest me?" he spat out.

"Jack and Rapunzel aren't pressing charges," MK stated calmly.

Justin's eyes widened, "What?"

"They just want to know what happened, and I'll admit, I'm curious too. So, what happened back then?"

Justin scoffed, "You wouldn't believe me, no one would."

"Jack said you wouldn't lie."

Justin glanced at her in surprise, "He said that?" MK nodded. He glanced down, clearly thinking hard, "But, why? This doesn't make any sense."

"That's why they asked me to help."

Justin eyed her warily, "Are you sure that's why they wanted you to help?"

MK blinked, "Uh, yes. Why, don't believe me?"

"Oh, I believe you, and maybe Rapunzel, but Jack?"

"Think you could explain for Rapunzel's sake, at least? She of all people deserves to understand why you tried to kill her."

Justin's face hardened, "Go ask Jack."

"I did, now I need to hear it from you."

"Why?"

"So I can be sure I get it right. You said you didn't trust Jack, right?" Justin slowly nodded. "Well, if you don't trust him, why are you letting him tell the story his way?"

"I . . . I . . . I don't . . . I don't know."

"Do you doubt your own story?"

"No!"

"Then tell it!"

"His stupid blizzard killed Talia!"

MK blinked, "What? But, he . . . he wouldn't do that intentionally."

"That's what I thought at first . . . until . . ." whispered Justin.

"What do you mean? Until what?" asked MK when he didn't say another word. A phone ringing startled them. They each checked their phones.

"Oh, um, sorry, I, uh, need to take this. Hello?" Justin answered his phone, walking away from MK. MK's own phone rang at that moment.

"Hello?"

"Hi, um, is this a bad time?"

"No, what did you need?"

"Oh, just calling to let you know that the potion is done!"

"That's great, Jack!"

"I know! Punz and I can be ready to go tonight! How long do you need?"

"Tonight's fine, Jamie and I can meet you at the border."

"Great! Um, how are things going with Justin? Did you find out anything?"

"I think I'd better tell you later."

"That bad, huh? OK, see you tonight, then."

"Right, see you tonight." MK hung up the phone and turned around, startled to find Justin standing so close.

"He's one step closer to his happy ending, isn't he?" he muttered. The look in his eyes was making MK nervous.

"Why don't we continue? Until what, Justin?"

"I don't want to talk anymore. And since you're not going to arrest me, I'm going to have to ask you to leave so I can finish my work."

MK clenched her teeth, "Fine, but we're not done talking."

"But we are, for a while, at least." Justin turned and went back to his work. MK stood still, watching him go, before she went to her car and drove off. She thought on the conversation as she packed, becoming more and more glad that she was taking Jack and Rapunzel out of town that night. But her lips were pursed, still mulling over what Rapunzel had said that Justin said. How could there be two Jack Frosts? But more importantly, what did that other Jack Frost say to Justin? She let out a sigh as dozens more questions flooded her brain. She pushed them back to concentrate on packing, getting Jack and Rapunzel out safely, and finding JJ. But she was determined that, once they returned from the trip, she would find out once and for all what had happened to Justin.


	10. Memories

Jamie, MK, Merida, and Hiccup went straight to the border later that evening, MK driving her car straight over it. It wasn't long before Rapunzel, Jack, Gothi, and the Sandy's joined them.

"Alright, time to see if this potion works," blurted Sandy as she pulled out a phial and poured it all over Jack's scarf.

"Wait, you don't even know if it works?" asked Hiccup incredulously.

"Why didn't you test it first?" asked MK. The Sandman fiddled with his fingers and Gothi winced.

"There wasn't enough time to do that, but we're sure it works."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Sandy Carver huffed, "Yes!"

Jack let out a breath as he wrapped his scarf around his neck, "Well, here goes." He walked towards the line, Rapunzel holding his hand tight. He gingerly took a step over, and another, before he was well on the other side, his hands still in Rapunzel's. Rapunzel watched his face for any changes while the others waited breathlessly. He glanced around, "Wait, what?"

"Jack?" Rapunzel asked worriedly.

He smirked, "Hey Princess, I'm not going to forget you that easily." He leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. "It works!" The others cheered.

"Awesome! Hurry up and get your scarf, Rapunzel, so we can go!" blurted Jamie.

"Jamie! Give them a second, will you?" remarked MK.

"OK, but, hurry up . . . please?"

Rapunzel chuckled, "Alright Jamie, I will." She turned, "Sandy, is mine . . . ah!" A shot rang out, and Rapunzel fell across the border.

"No, Rapunzel!" Jack picked her up and got her back into Cedar Grove as MK dashed past to help Hiccup apprehend the shooter. Gothi, Jamie, and the Sandy's crowded around Jack and Rapunzel. "Rapunzel, are you alright?"

She blinked, "Who? Who are you? What am I doing here?" Jack's eyes and mouth widened in shock.

"You, you don't know who I am?" he practically whispered, afraid of hearing the answer.

"No, should I?"

"Y-yes," Jack whispered, tears threatening to fall. "I-I love you, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel quickly jumped out of his arms, "I'm not Rapunzel, I'm Rose! And I don't know you, I don't know any of you!" She turned around, and paused, glancing at Merida. "Wait, I, I think I know you . . . S-Sarah May?"

Merida let out a sigh, "Yup, that's me. Um, Rose, I should get you to the hospital, you're bleeding."

Rapunzel shrieked when she saw the blood, "What? How?"

"Uh, Rose, just, uh, just get in the car, I'll take you to the hospital." Rapunzel merely nodded as she let Merida and Jack get her into the car. "I'll look after her, you go find JJ," whispered Merida. Jack could only nod as Merida got into the car and left.

"Justin!" growled Jack as he rose, Hiccup and MK having returned with the shooter.

Justin let out a cruel laugh, "Now you know how it feels to lose the one you love! I was nice enough not to kill her, unlike you."

"I never killed anyone!" shouted Jack.

"You killed Talia! Your stupid blizzard killed Talia!"

"What are you talking about? Blizzards happen! Why wasn't she inside?"

"She came looking for me because she was afraid you were going to hurt me! But you weren't going to hurt me, no, in your grief and anger you killed her!"

"I . . . I'm sorry . . ."

"Yeah, now you are, now that you've felt helpless in not being able to protecting the one you love! I only wanted to help, Jack, I only wanted to help, but you refused!"

"I would have accepted it! But I knew that Pitch had a hand in it, so I went straight to the Guardians!"

"Straight to the Guardians?" scoffed Justin. Sandy stepped between them, and nodded. "Wait, what? You mean to tell me you did in fact go straight to the Guardians when you noticed that Rapunzel and JJ were missing, no stopping in any towns along the way?"

"Yes! That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Justin just stared at Jack, MK could tell he was rethinking everything and quite possibly realizing that he had made a mistake.

"B-but I talked to you!"

"I didn't see you until we found those clues that led us to your house!" blurted Jack.

"S-so, if what you're saying is true, then . . . who, who did I talk to in the blizzard?"

"I, I don't know, but it wasn't me."

"But he looked and sounded exactly like you."

"I don't know what you saw, but it wasn't me. I went straight to the North Pole, I swear."

"But, but I thought . . ."

Hiccup interrupted, "I think you need to do some major thinking while you're in jail. MK, Jack, Jamie, you should get going. We'll take care of Rapunzel, don't worry about her."

"And we'll get to work right away on some more memory-restoring potions," remarked Sandy.

Jack smiled sadly, "Thanks, guys. I think your dad's right, MK, we should get going." Mk glanced at Hiccup.

"Go on, I've got this." MK nodded before following Jack and Jamie to the car. They got into the car, and MK put distance between them and the town, though she glanced in her rearview mirror from time to time to watch Hiccup and the others head back into town. She let out a sigh some time later when Jack and Jamie had drifted off to sleep, she hadn't been able to get Jack and Rapunzel out in time. Then another question popped into her head, how were they supposed to find JJ? Sure, Sandy had said he went to a town on the east coast, but there were a lot of towns on the east coast. Which one had he taken shelter in? As a matter of fact, what was his last name? MK let out a huff, this could take a little longer than they had anticipated.


	11. Not Part of the Book

"Is that everyone?" asked Justin as he closed the door, blocking out the swirling blizzard behind him.

"I think so," replied Talia as she handed out mugs of hot drinks and blankets. "I've never seen a storm like this."

Justin pulled his coat tighter, "I have. I'm heading back out."

"What? Are you nuts?"

"It's just Jack Frost, we're friends, he won't hurt me. But something's wrong, and I'm going to see if he needs my help."

"But what if he doesn't care?"

"He does. Listen, just make sure no one leaves the tavern. If I have to, I'll duck in one of the nearby buildings, just don't let anyone out until the blizzard's passed, alright?"

Talia nodded, "I will, you be safe."

"I will." Talia kissed him.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Justin pulled her in for another kiss before walking out the door, into the swirling, blinding snow. He walked a ways into the storm before calling out at the top of his lungs, "Jack! Jack, it's Justin! We need to talk!" When no answer came, Justin continued to walk further into the storm, pausing every now and then to call out to Jack. "Come on, Jack, talk to me! What's wrong? What happened?"

"Where is she?" came a voice through the storm.

"Where's who, Jack? Can you calm down the storm a bit?" The wind began to ease down, and Justin found himself practically in what looked like the eye of the storm. And before him, stood Jack Frost. "Jack! What's going on?"

"Rapunzel, she's, she's gone! I can't find her!"

"Do you have to do the blizzard?"

"If it's the only way to slow down her kidnapper's progress, then yes!"

Justin sighed, "Listen man, she's not here, someone would have seen her!"

"Oh no, that witch is a sly one."

"No, seriously, someone would have seen had she come through here. So, if she's not here, the witch could have given the town a wide berth!"

"Well, you don't know that hag like I do! Now, either you get out of my way, or I make you!"

"What? Don't you want my help? I know this town better than you do!"

"You, help? Ha! The only person you want to help is yourself!"

"Say what? Jack, what's gotten into you? You know that to be a true knight, I have to put others' needs before my own!"

"Oh really? If you had to choose between saving my girl or yours, who would you pick?"

"Say what?" Justin turned, he thought he heard his name. "Talia?"

"I knew it."

"No, wait Jack! That's not . . ."

"Nobody cares about me!" The wind began to pick up again.

"No, Jack, wait! Someone's still out there!"

"Then be the knight and save them! You put others before yourself, remember?"

"Jack, stop! This isn't like you! I know you're hurting, but you don't have to do this!"

"Yes I do! Now get out of my way!" Jack threw an icy wind at Justin, sending him flying into a barn. The momentum made Justin hit his head so hard, that he lost consciousness within seconds.

When he woke up, there was sunlight streaming through the windows and the cracks, and the wind had stopped. Justin jumped to his feet, worry and dread eating at his heart. Who went out into the storm? Who had called his name? He knew, somehow he knew, but he hoped and wished with all his heart that she hadn't gone out after him. He yanked open the barn door, and a pile of snow fell in on top of him. Grunting, he managed to climb onto the pile, and slid down to the other side. He glanced around at the blanket of snow covering the town, it seemed so soft and still now, so peaceful. Justin let out a huff, and saw his breath coming out in puffs, it was also very cold. He turned towards the tavern, longing to see her face opening the door for him, her smile welcoming him back. He paused as he noticed something lying in the snow just a few feet away from him. He stood still for only a minute before he was on top of it, digging in the snow to uncover the rest of it.

The stillness was shattered with his cries, "No! No! Talia! No! Come back, Talia! Jack Frost! You will pay for this!"


	12. Searching Far

Jack stayed in the back, and quiet, for the majority of the ride.

"Everything will be alright, Jack, you'll see," Jamie smiled.

Jack sighed, "Thanks Jamie, it's just hard to see that right now." He laid down and pulled his hood over his head, his hand tightly squeezing the scarf Rapunzel had made.

"Is there any place along the east coast you want to check out?" asked MK.

"Ask me when we're closer to the east coast," muttered Jack. MK and Jamie glanced at each other.

"Well, would it be alright if we went to our old place first?" asked Jamie.

"Sure, whatever." Jack pulled his hood over his eyes, but Jamie and MK could tell he had closed them. They drove for several hours, stopping every now and then for gas, breaks, and food. Jamie would point out something that they passed on the road, and MK would tell him about it, the two chatting for several minutes. But the ride for the most part was quiet. They stopped at a hotel for the night and ordered pizza.

"Jack, you need to eat," MK prodded when Jack didn't take a bite.

"I know, it's just . . . everything happened so fast, I couldn't . . . I couldn't save her."

"Listen, Mom and Dad will take care of Rapunzel, and both Sandy's are working on the potion to bring back her memories. They've got this, right now, it's your job to figure out where JJ could be, find him, and bring him home."

"I know, I just would have rathered that Rapunzel come as well, he might have remembered her, certainly more than me." Jack sighed, "Her parents gave us three years all to ourselves before Rapunzel would have to dive into learning how to be a queen, and two of those three years I had to spend looking for them. And then the spell happened, and now this."

"Hey, you'll get your family back, trust me, I should know. Yes, I'm still looking for Jamie's father, but, perhaps it's the same with you, we have to find our son first before we get our love back. Jack, for the first time in my life, ever since Jamie was born, I have hope, and you helped to give me that. Let me return the favor. Eat your pizza."

A smirk began to tug at Jack's lips, "What, did you sprinkle hope on the pizza?"

Jamie piped up, "She might not have, but I did, just to be safe!" Jack glanced at Jamie in surprise before bursting out laughing.

"OK, that was good. Thanks you two, for doing this."

"Hey, that's what friends are for. And, as Dad pointed out, this is basically us returning the favor for everything you've done for us."

Jack smiled, "I guess you could look at it that way. But I really am very grateful."

Jamie hugged him, "There's no need to worry really, especially now that Mom's here. She broke the spell, with her around ,everything will be set to right finally."

Jack returned the hug, "Thanks Jamie, I certainly hope so. Well, I should eat this pizza so we don't waste so much hope."

"Then we have to make sure the whole pizza is gone, because I sprinkled hope all over it!"

Jack laughed, "Alright." He glanced at MK as he took a bite, "So, Pennsylvania, huh?"

MK shrugged, "Well, I wanted to be close to a forest, and he liked being near historical sites, so, Pennsylvania it was."

"How did you two meet?" asked Jamie.

"Well, we met in highschool, actually. We both grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and went to the same school for quite a few years. We just somehow knew that we were meant for each other. When he turned sixteen, he got a job on the side and began saving up for us to get married and move out. He even sold a few of his own personal items, having found out he had a few collectible pieces. And almost as soon as we graduated, we were married and moving to Pennsylvania. Then the fire happened and . . . and you know the rest."

"So, is that why you became a detective?" asked Jack as he picked up a second slice of pizza.

MK nodded, "Partially, I was interested in it because of my adoptive father, Radcliffe Bomba, he was a scientist and always searching for the truth. It was thanks to his help that I was able to graduate high school so early."

"Wow, can we meet him?"

MK sighed, "Afraid not, kid, he, um, he passed away a few years ago."

"Oh, sorry."

"Sorry to hear that, MK."

MK smiled, "Thanks guys, but, we don't have time to dwell on the past, we need to keep moving forward, right?"

Jack smiled, "Right, which could mean that we should start driving nights too."

"Well . . ."

"I can take nights."

"Are you sure?"

Jack nodded, "Positive, I'm feeling better now, thanks. All that hope Jamie sprinkled on the pizza sure is helping."

Jamie whooped, "Awesome!"

MK smiled, "Great! Um, do you want to talk about it?"

Jack shook his head, "I'm not quite ready for that. Let's just concentrate on getting to Burgess and finding JJ, sound good?"

Jamie gave a thumbs up, "Sounds great!"

"Alright, Jack, but when you're ready to talk, let us know, we're ready to listen."

Jack smiled, "Thanks MK, I'll be sure to do that. But, if you don't mind, I'd like to get my last full night's sleep before I have to turn into your midnight driver."

MK chuckled, "Don't be so over dramatic, it's only going to be a couple of nights."

"Yeah, well, I'm Jack Frost, I'm always dramatic, And I dramatically need some sleep right about now."

MK let out a yawn, "That sounds good right about now. We should get ready for bed."

Jamie stifled a yawn, "But I don't want to go to sleep."

Jack chuckled as he helped Jamie to bed, "When you're about ready to fall asleep standing up? Yeah, good luck." Within minutes, Jamie was sound asleep, MK following suit not long after. But Jack stayed up a little later, and pulled out a phial of royal blue light and a slinky dog.

The next morning dawned bright and hopeful, and after a quick breakfast, the trio were off. Jack drove the first part of it, to let MK have a break, and talk turned to which cities JJ might have moved to.

"I think he'd stay further north, not as far north as Maine, and most certainly not as south as Florida."

MK chuckled, "Now what makes you say that?"

Jack smiled sadly, "Well, from what I do know of JJ, he had a better tolerance of the chill than the heat."

"So, something a little south of Maine, perhaps?" asked MK.

"New York?"

Jack shrugged, "It's a possibility."

"New York City?"

"Sleepy Hollow?"

"Wait, what? Sleepy Hollow is a real place?"

MK nodded, "Yup, just a bit north of New York City."

"Isn't that the home of the Headless Horseman?" asked Jack.

"Why would he go there? Isn't the Headless Horseman like a friend of Pitch Black?"

"It's quite possible," began Jack.

"And a perfect place to test one's powers," stated MK.

Jack's eyes widened, "You may be right! Pitch might not even look there because the Headless Horseman is there! Alright, after Burgess, Sleepy Hollow it is!"

"Cool!"

"But if he's not there, we should have a list of cities to check out, just in case," pointed out MK.

Jack nodded, "Right, let's go over a bit of that at lunch. How does Mexican sound?" MK and Jamie answered in the affirmative, and the group stopped at a Mexican restaurant for lunch, going over a map of the east coast. MK took over the driving, switching out with Jack around eleven so she could sleep. Jamie stayed up only for a few minutes later before nodding off, leaving Jack to his thoughts for the rest of the night. Jack stopped at an Ihop for breakfast the next morning, the three quickly getting a bite to eat before crawling back into the car, Jack falling asleep in the back seat. When MK was absolutely sure that Jack was sound asleep, she turned to Jamie.

"Did you bring _A Faraway Land_?"

Jamie winced, "Uh, yeah?"

"Read me the story of Jack Frost."

"Really?" MK nodded. Ecstatic, Jamie pulled out the book, and read her the story.


	13. Searching Wide

A couple of days later, the trio found themselves pulling into Burgess, Pennsylvania, a quaint little town a few miles east of the Ohio and Pennsylvania border. MK took over driving so she could pick out the landmarks faster.

"This was the other reason," she muttered. There it was, a charcoal mess of a house, surrounded by a wrecking machine and construction equipment.

"They're going to tear down the house?" exclaimed Jamie.

"Yeah, I got a notice just the other day that they're going to tear it down in a couple of days and build a new house. So, we had better make this quick."

Jack let out a huff, "Yeah, no kidding. Should we split up and cover more ground?"

MK nodded, "I think that's a good idea."

"OK, I'll take the yard, if you and Jamie want the house."

MK let out a huff, "OK, we can."

"Unless you want to take the yard?"

MK shook her head, "Nah, we'll be fine, thanks."

"Alright, if you need me, holler."

"Will do." The three separated, Jack heading for the yard while MK and Jamie went into the charred ruins. The two picked their way through the mess and worked in silence for a while before Jamie broke the silence with a question.

"Which room would have been mine?"

MK smiled sadly as she showed him to a room, "This one. We had it all decorated in glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling and clouds on the walls. We had a crib set up, and everything. Your dad was really excited."

Jamie smiled, "I hope I do get to meet him soon. What did he do?"

"Oh, he was working as a school janitor for the bills, but he was also going to college to become an electrician. He always had this fascination with light and how it worked. He was planning on building a workshop in the back to do some of his experiments." MK chuckled softly, "Halloween was his favorite holiday. He liked Christmas too, but Halloween was his favorite. He liked putting up lights and decorations, carving the pumpkins, and dressing up. He enjoyed dressing up a lot, part of the reason why he wanted to be so near colonial America."

"Wow, he sounds like a lot of fun."

"Yeah, he was. Have you found anything?"

Jamie sighed and shook his head, "No, I'm beginning to see why you had problems, there is practically nothing to go on! We might just have to leave here without any clues."

MK led the way to the front, "You might be right kid, but, I think I can actually leave this place now for good."

"MK?"

"Mrs. Norrington?"

"Oh for crying out loud, are you checking this house again? The police have been over everything twenty times! And so have you! When are you going to give it up?"

"Don't worry, Mrs. Norrington, this is my last time. I just wanted to show Jamie where we would have lived."

Mrs. Norrington gasped, "Is this your baby?"

MK smiled, "Yes ma'am, this is. He's practically all grown up now."

Jamie smiled and waved, "Hi Mrs. Norrington!"

"Aw, I can see some of his father in him. Though, that is funny."

"What is?"

"You're the second person who's come to this house in the past week!"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, some guy was snooping around here, said he was a relative of your late husband's. He didn't give me many details, just said his name was JJ and that he was from Sleepy Hollow. I asked him why he didn't come sooner, you could have used his help, but he simply left! I can almost see why your husband left his family, they're apparently rather rude!"

"Oh, oh why thank you, Mrs. Norrington, I'll go visit him and give him a piece of my mind."

Mrs. Norrington nodded, "You do that, MK, if they don't have the nerve of helping you out when you needed it . . . ooh, it makes me mad just to think about it!"

"Um, yes, well, we should be going, quite the drive from here to Sleepy Hollow."

"That's right, stand your ground! And, really, it was nice to see you, darling, and meet little Jamie! You guys be safe, alright?" Mrs. Norrington hugged MK.

"We'll do that, thank you Mrs. Norrington." As soon as she walked away, MK and Jamie sped off in search of Jack.

"Jack, Jack!" called out Jamie.

"What?"

"We just found out some guy named JJ visited the house."

Jack took a breath, "OK, but, that doesn't mean it's my JJ."

"He came here from Sleepy Hollow!"

Jack's eyes widened, "That, that was on our list . . ."

MK nodded, "I know, and, I don't know how I know this, but, I think that was him. And there's a lot of questions I need to ask."

"Like?"

"Like how does he know my late husband? And why did he come here a few days ago?"

Jack glanced down, "And I think there's more he can tell us about your husband. He might actually know about what happened that night."

"What? What makes you say that?"

"Something you detectives call a hunch. I don't think this was a mere coincidence, even if it might appear as one at first." Jack glanced up at the sky. "I think someone's been showing us the way."

Jamie gasped, "The Man in the Moon!"

"Right, and he's given us the location to really start looking, Sleepy Hollow."

MK followed Jack to the car, "But once we're there, how will we find him? He didn't give a last name!"

"Could we look for dad's last name?"

"Well, that is a possibility, but if that doesn't work?"

Jack glanced at her as he opened the car door, "I think I have a way, but it's going to have to wait until we get there. And . . . and I think something's going to happen, JJ might be in trouble or will be, and we need to get him out soon."


	14. In Sleepy Hollow

MK insisted, and she got her wish, the group stopped in Allentown on their way to Sleepy Hollow for a good night's rest, she was going to need Jack's help in keeping an eye out for JJ in Sleepy Hollow. After a quick breakfast at the hotel, they were off again, and two hours later, were reaching the outskirts of Sleepy Hollow.

"So, how do we want to do this? Check a phone book or hit the city hall?"

"Or ask one of the townsfolk," suggested Jamie as they passed a woman.

"Well, we could ask her about all of it," remarked MK as she pulled into a driveway to turn around. But by the time they did turn around, the woman was gone. "Huh, I wonder where she went?"

"Oh, look, there she is!" exclaimed Jamie as he pointed down a side street. MK turned down the street and rolled down her window.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

The woman turned and looked at MK suspiciously, "Yes? What do you want?"

"We just got here and was wondering if you could tell us if a JJ lives in these parts?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"He has some information about my late husband, and JJ is the only name we have."

The woman seemed to instantly relax as she approached the car, "I'm so sorry to hear that, my condolences for your loss."

"Why thank you," muttered MK, fighting to keep the tears from falling.

"I don't know very many people here, I'm afraid, but I think I have heard of a couple of JJ's who live here. They don't actually go by those names very often anymore, but there are a couple. There's Joseph Whitaker by the wharf, Jack Young on the north side, Jackson Landry in the south, and Jack O'Leary by the cemetery. That's all I know of, I hope that helps."

"It has been a big help! Thank you so much! I hope you have a wonderful day!"

"Thanks, you as well!" The woman waved as she walked away and MK turned the car around.

"So, which one do you think it is? It's certainly not Joseph Whitaker, so it has to be Landry, O'Leary, or Young."

Jack let out a breath, "I think it might be time. Pull over in an alleyway, will you?"

"Um, OK." MK searched for an empty spot to park. It took a couple of minutes, but she finally found a spot and parked. "Whatever you're doing, let's do it quick." Jack merely nodded as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a phial and a slinky dog.

"Hey, isn't that one of the phials Dad and I got for you?" asked MK.

"Yes, this one was made from a strand of hair from Rapunzel, and a strand of my own hair. This is what our true love looks like . . . sort of." He opened the phial and poured a drop of the royal blue liquid over the slinky dog. There was a little poof of blue smoke before it faded away.

"Um, is something supposed to happen?" asked Jamie.

"Yeah, um . . ."

"Well, yeah, something's supposed to happen!" came a voice from the dog. The three yelped in surprise. "What? You wanted me to return to life, didn't you?"

"Well, yes, you just startled us, that's all."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to. So, what do you guys want?"

"We need to know where JJ is," explained Jack.

"What? JJ? What for?"

"I'm his dad, Jack Frost."

"Oh, and you want me to lead you to your son?"

"Yes, please."

"OK, well then . . . head for the cemetery."

"The-the cemetery?"

"Yeah, JJ's got a place near the cemetery."

"How do you know that?" asked MK.

The dog shrugged, "I don't know, it's like I have a built-in homing beacon or something. The Sandy's wanted us toys to be able to find JJ if anything were to happen to him. And we could find each other, if we needed to."

Jack let out a breath of relief, "Oh, OK. Well MK, you heard the dog, let's aim for Jack O'Leary's place by the cemetery."

"You can call me Slinky, all my friends do."

"This is so cool! Hey Slinky, you want to sit up front with me?" asked Jamie.

"Sure, I'd love to stick my head out the window!"

"Not unless Jamie's open to learning ventriloquism," winked Jack.

"I'll keep quiet," muttered Slinky as he jumped into Jamie's lap. "For the most part, anyway. You're still going to need directions."

"True, but we can roll up the windows when we need it," remarked MK.

"Right," smirked Jack.

Jamie gasped as he pointed ahead, "There's the cemetery!"

"Take a right!" blurted Slinky as he jumped to MK's lap. MK took the right. "Keep going straight until I tell you to."

"Why are you slowing down?"

"And miss the turn? Not a chance."

They drove past a few streets before Slinky blurted, "Right!" MK turned down the street. "Turn around."

"Wait, what?" asked Jack as MK turned around.

"There," Slinky pointed to a driveway MK had eased up on. She turned into it and parked the car. The house the driveway belonged to was a two-story house, the bottom half of which was a pale green and the top half was an off white.

MK let out a breath, "Are you guys ready to do this?"

"Yes!" grinned Jamie.

"Yes, and no," replied Jack as he got out of the car.

"Well come on!" blurted Slinky as he hopped out of the car after Jamie. Heaving a sigh, MK followed them to the door. Jack took a deep breath, and knocked. They waited a few minutes, but no answer. Jack knocked again. "Uh, OK, he's not home. Wait here, I'll be a moment."

"Wait, Slinky!" Jack reached for the dog, but he was already on the other side of the fence. Jack grumbled as Slinky found a doggie door and slipped into the house. Jack walked back to the door. "Well, guess the toys will be letting us in shortly."

"Go figure. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Are you ready to hear what he has to say about Jamie's father?"

MK let out a breath and nodded, "I am, it will be hard, but I am. This is the first real lead I've had in ten years." Jack nodded as the door behind him squeaked open. The three glanced at each other before stepping into the house. The door slammed shut behind them, and Slinky walked out into the hall.

"Look everybody, it's JJ's dad, Jack Frost!" A space man jumped to the floor and gave a little bow.

"Welcome Jack Frost! I am Buzz Lightyear, the head of the toys protecting your son. I assume the spell has been broken? And who are these two?"

"Um, this is MK, a detective, and Jamie, her son. She's the daughter of some good friends of mine, and the one who broke the spell."

"Oh, a pleasure to meet you all! Won't you come in? JJ's not here at the moment, but he'll be back in a few minutes. I'm sure he'll be glad to see you!"

Another toy walked into the hall. "Of course he'll be glad to see him! We're glad to see him! We can finally get out of this dump!"

"Whoa! Mr. Potato Head! This is so cool! Who are the other toys?"

"Come on and meet them! We were just hanging out in the study." Buzz led the way to the study, but on the way, they noticed something.

"JJ's been packing?" asked Jack as they entered the study. On the floor stood a T-Rex, a piggy bank, a pair of binoculars, a Mrs. Potato Head, and three aliens, playing a game of Life.

"Of course he has! He knew you were coming!" blurted Mrs. Potato Head.

"He, he did?"

"Yup, said he felt different on Halloween, like something had changed," remarked the piggy bank.

"We all felt it too, Hamm, but we weren't sure it had anything to do with Cedar Grove. But, we decided to be ready, just in case. Everyone, this is Jack Frost, MK, and Jamie." Buzz went to the toys and pointed them out, "And this is Rex, Hamm, Mrs. Potato Head, Lenny, and the Little Green Men JJ likes to call Larry, Grady, and Mo."

Jack chuckled, "Nice." They greeted each other. Jamie, however, noticed a few books.

"Hey, is JJ really big into American Folklore?"

Oh, yes, he's actually written a couple."

"Oh really, which ones?" asked Jack.

"Hey, who's Jack O'Lantern?" asked Jamie as he glanced at a book.

Buzz chuckled, "JJ, that's his pen name."

"American Legends and Myths?" MK read.

"Yeah, JJ likes to trace the history of some of the well-known names. Anyone who reads that will know that he paid extra special attention to Jack Frost, and Jack O'Lantern."

Jack fingered the book, "I'm glad he didn't stop believing."

"The Sandman and the witch wouldn't let him," grumbled Mr. Potato Head.

"And he's got us," pointed out Hamm.

"And, of course, this," stated Mrs. Potato Head as she pulled out another book from the shelves.

"Mom, look!" MK gasped when she and Jamie walked up to get a better look, it was _A Faraway Land_.

Rex let out a squeal, "Ah, JJ's back!"

"What? How . . ." A door opened and slammed shut, followed by the sound of keys hitting the counter.

"Hey guys! I will be so glad when this is all over. I hate having to go to the grocery store everyday. But I did see Joseph Whitaker today, and he offered to buy all the travel books . . ." The man walked in with a box and a post-it, glanced up, and paused. "Who, who are you?"

"I'm, I'm Jack Frost."

"JJ, it's your dad!" blurted Rex. JJ glanced at the toys before glancing back at Jack.

"D-Dad?"

"Wow, you've gotten big. I, I'm sorry. I missed you growing up, I . . ." Jack paused when JJ put down the box and pulled him into a hug.

"It's OK, I understand. We're together now, finally." Something fell and hit the floor, causing them to look. JJ's eyes widened, MK had dropped the book.

"MK?"

"Wait, you know my mom?"

"She's your mom?" Jamie nodded. "Oh, oh wow, then, yeah, I know her, except, back then, everyone knew me as Andy. And that means I'm your dad."


	15. Part Two

"MK! Wait!" JJ grabbed MK's arm, but she shook him off.

"Ten years, Andy, ten years I've been looking for you! Ten years that I knew you were alive, ten years I had to listen to everyone telling me that you were dead and that I had to move on! I couldn't look your mom in the face when I had to tell her what happened!" MK had tears streaming down her face. "Why? Why couldn't you let us know you were alive? Why didn't you contact us in all these years? Weren't you curious about our son, weren't you afraid for our safety?"

JJ sighed, "It was because of fear that I stayed quiet all these years. I'm sorry, MK, I really am sorry. But I was afraid that Pitch was going to get to you and Jamie, that he'd try to take you from me the same way he took me and mom from dad. I forced the separation because, because I remember what it was like in Pitch's clutches, and I didn't want that for you or Jamie."

"But no communication whatsoever, even as Jamie got older?"

He sighed, "I know, I know, I'm sorry. I let my fears get the best of me. And that night with the fire . . . I was terrified that he would get to you and . . . just, I'm sorry I put you through all of this."

"Sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it, Andy! I held on to the hope that you were alive for these past ten years when everyone had been telling me you were dead!"

"Well, it looks like you were right, MK."

MK turned on Jack, "And you, you were dropping hints that JJ and Andy were the same person! How did you know?"

"I said it was a hunch. And come on, MK, you were there with me. Don't you remember what the Sandy's said?"

MK's eyes widened as everything clicked into place,"Oh."

"Right, and I know you had the same thought, though you let it pass without giving it a second look," remarked Jack. MK just buried her face in her hands. JJ pulled her close.

"I missed you so much," she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I missed you too. I was only doing this to protect you." MK didn't say anything, she just wanted to savor the moment, breathe him in. She finally had him back, and she was determined to never lose him again. They stood there for several minutes, just hugging each other, MK still softly sobbing.

Jack cleared his throat, "Um, you do realize there's a third party to that, right?" MK and JJ glanced at him as he pushed Jamie forward. They smiled and opened their arms, Jamie rushing into them.

"This is the best day ever! And it will be the best Christmas ever too!" he grinned.

"We might be able to have a Thanksgiving too if we hurry up and get back to Cedar Grove," remarked Jack.

"Yeah, but, I still have some packing to do. And I asked Joseph Whitaker to come by tomorrow to get those books."

"We can help!" blurted Jamie.

MK smiled, "That we can."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get started!" exclaimed Jack.

JJ chuckled, "OK."

"Alright!" whooped Jamie. They got to work fairly quickly, chatting away as they worked, filling in each other on everything that had happened. Jack only mentioned a few things that happened in Cedar Grove before Jamie, or MK, got there, but for the most part was quiet, listening in on everything Jamie, MK, and JJ had to say.

MK revealed that, after the fire, she had stayed with the Norringtons until all of the excitement died down and she could leave. She went home to her adoptive father and, after informing Andy's adoptive family of the tragedy, turned to figuring what to do with the baby. She eventually came to the decision to give up the baby for adoption until she could find answers and went back to school to become a detective. Jamie then told of how his life was in Cedar Grove with Mavis Bennett, before finding out about being adopted and finding MK. The two finished up with the events of the last few weeks.

JJ explained that, after the fire, he took what money he had and took a Greyhound bus straight to Sleepy Hollow, eventually getting a job as a janitor. He went back to college and got two degrees, a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering and a Master's in History. It was while he was finishing up his Bachelor's that he really began to take note of his powers, and experimented with them. He showed them what he could do after dinner, he could create little floating lights and control electrical lights.

"Whoa! Those look like will-o-the-wisps!" blurted Jamie.

JJ laughed, "They do, don't they? I've called them that, in fact." He glanced at Jack, "I also call them floating stars and nightlights." Jack nodded in understanding.

"Nightlights is a good one," muttered MK.

"Yeah, it's the better sounding one of them, isn't it?"

"Think you're strong enough to fight off Pitch now?" Everyone glanced at Jamie in surprise.

JJ ran his fingers through his hair, "Well, I have a better chance now than I did before, but I would still need Mom and Dad's help to defeat Pitch."

"Yeah, it's pretty much more than a one-man job, and Emily Jane is still counting on us to bring her dad back to her."

"Mother Nature?" asked Jamie.

Jack nodded, "Yup, that's all she wants, is to be with her dad again."

"I know the feeling," JJ smiled sadly.

"Same here," MK quipped.

"And me!" blurted Jamie.

"Right, and since you all know what that feels like, try not to get Pitch killed, we want to save him, not kill him."

JJ chuckled as he rose from the table, "We'll try not to. So, shall we get back to work? Joseph's still coming over tomorrow to get those travel books, and we still have a bit of packing to do. Let's at least make sure we have those travel books all together for tomorrow."

"Right!" They got the travel books together, and packed a few more things before turning in for the night while the toys took turns keeping watch at night.

The next morning, Joseph called and informed JJ that he was on his way. He came by and bought the books from JJ. With that out of the way, they finished up the packing. JJ sold a few more items before they hit the road, finally. Later that night, Jamie was sound asleep and Jack was catching a few winks before needing to take the third shift at the wheel when MK popped the question that had been haunting her for a long time.

"What happened, at the fire?"

"MK . . ."

"I need to know, Andy. I understand and know so much more since then, especially about both of our real families and the tragedies that brought us here. Please, Andy, just tell me."

"You know I love you, right?"

"Andy . . ."

"MK, please."

"Yes, I know you love me. Why are you asking this?" Andy sighed as he pulled the car to a stop at a red light before pulling MK in for a kiss. "Andy?"

"You have no idea how close he was. If we had stayed at the house any longer, Pitch would have found us."

"What? Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I, I didn't want to frighten Jamie or worry Dad, or you, for that matter." He turned his attention to the road as the light turned green, though his right hand was now firmly holding MK's left. "If I have to leave you again so you can get back to Cedar Grove safely, I will."

"But your dad's here . . ."

"The only magic that's working right now are the spells that were put on the toys and that scarf . . . and my own powers. Dad wouldn't be able to help, his powers can only work inside Cedar Grove. Jamie said that there was a kind of force field around it, right?"

"Um, kind of, that is a good way of putting it."

"What if we have the Sandy's reinforce that field, and keep Pitch out!"

"Andy, I don't know . . ."

"I'm still scared of him, MK, and I hate it. I'm almost 30, and I still fear him. I thought, I hoped that becoming an adult would change that, that having a family, that having you by my side would change that. But the fire proved me wrong, I am still terrified of him. But the fire also showed me something else, something that might be able to help us."

"What?"

He smiled, "Listen carefully, and put those detective skills to work, let's see if you notice the same things I did." He let out a huff before continuing, "It was the toys who first noticed it. There had been reports of kids in our neighborhood having nightmares for about a week, but we didn't figure it out until that day. And it was almost too late."


	16. His Greatest Fear

"So, Andy, are you ever going to tell her about your real family? About us?"

Andy sighed, "I don't know Buzz, I don't think she's ready to hear it. The kid might find out long before she does."

"Well, considering that the kid is still cooking, I think you've got some time to at least get her prepared. You know, dropping hints and whatnot."

Andy sighed as he pulled out _A Faraway Land_ from a backpack under his bed, "Yeah, I guess I should. I mean, if Pitch finds us . . . yeah, I should. Maybe I'll start with the book, let her read it. Get her started thinking about it, at least, considering the possibility that this book is a history."

"A good idea. Wouldn't it be funny, though, if she is the Mary Katherine from the book?"

Andy laughed, "The chances of that are slim to none. Unless . . . unless Manny made sure we met! I mean, she's said she was an orphan just like me. What if? OK, yes, tonight, I'm going to let her read the book. I don't want to spring anything on her suddenly, but if her parents are in fact Hiccup and Merida . . ."

"Then she's the one to break the spell!"

"And Dad might have needed her name as a trigger to get his memories back! Oh man, wouldn't that be awesome? I bring my wife into town, Dad hears her name, and he remembers! That would be great! But, we don't know where the town is, the Sandy's never told us."

"Well, let's work on getting MK to understand the truth of the book, and if she still has that blanket, we know it's her," Buzz stated as he pointed at the picture of the baby MK. "And if she is the MK needed to break the spell, then we'll contact the Sandy's and ask them for the location of Cedar Grove."

Andy nodded, "A good idea. Oh man, I've never been so anxious for her to come home! This will be the longest shopping trip she'll ever take."

Buzz chuckled as Andy stuffed the book back into the backpack, "Well, I just hope she takes the news well. I really think you should have told her a lot sooner, though."

"Yeah, because now you might not be able to," blurted Mr. Potato Head as he and the others entered the room.

"There's been reports of nightmares all over the neighborhood!" blurted Rex.

"What? Pitch, Pitch is here? Now?" Andy let out a yelp as he grabbed the backpack and jumped back from the bed. A shadowy hand slipped back under the bed before a large shadow crawled out and grew into a dark man that towered over Andy.

Buzz jumped to the floor and stood in front of Andy protectively, "Andy, get out!"

Pitch laughed cruelly, "Did you think you could hide from me for long, JJ?" His cruel yellow eyes locked on Andy's frightened blue ones.

"Get Andy out of here!" ordered Buzz as he began firing his laser at the Nightmares crawling out from under the bed.

"Andy, run!" shouted Mrs. Potato Head as Rex bit into a Nightmare and Hamm headbutted another. Andy finally snapped out of it and dashed out of the room, his arms wrapped around the backpack. The other toys followed him out of the room while Buzz blasted Nightmare after Nightmare. Pitch's laugh echoed around them before stepping out of the shadows in front of them in the living room.

"You're still afraid, JJ, afraid that you'll never find your parents again. Afraid that they won't accept you now that you're all grown up."

"Stop it, stop it!"

"Andy, don't listen to him!" shouted Rex.

"And now you're afraid, afraid of what I could do to your little family, that I would do the same thing to them that I did to you. And I will do the same thing to them if you refuse to become my darkling prince."

"No! You leave them alone!" At that moment, lightbulbs shattered and an electrical fire broke out. Andy shot a glare at Pitch as thoughts of his family filled his head. "You will not touch them!" The electricity in the air seemed to build up and a few bolts zapped Pitch.

Pitch laughed, "Do you really think that will stop me? Ah!" A stream of golden sand wrapped itself around Pitch's arm like a whip and pulled him away.

"Jackson Junior! Get out here now!" ordered a sharp voice. Andy let out a breath of relief as he and the toys bolted out of the house.

"Oh, thank heavens you've come!" exclaimed Rex as he rushed towards the witch.

"Well of course we came! As soon as you told us what was happening, we got here as quickly as we could! But Sandy can't handle Pitch all by himself, so we're going to have to get you out of here. Where's your wife and unborn baby?"

"They, they're out."

"Oh good, well then . . ."

"Sandy, I need to go now."

"What about . . .?"

Andy sighed, "It will be better this way. If I can keep Pitch's attention on me, they'll be safe."

"What? But what about . . ." began Rex.

Andy shook his head, "I won't be able to protect them. I couldn't even protect myself. It'll be better this way."

"But JJ! MK loves you, she'll be heartbroken!" exclaimed Mrs. Potato Head as Andy walked away.

"Don't you think I'm already heartbroken at having to leave? I love her too, I wanted to have this perfect life with her and our baby. But if Pitch . . . with Pitch . . . I don't want to put them through what Mom and I went through, I . . . I don't want to go through what Dad went through."

"But you're forcing it on yourself now!" blurted Mr. Potato Head.

"Yes, I am, but since I am forcing it, I know that they'll be safe." He sighed as he glanced down at the backpack he still clutched, "That's something Dad didn't get. Please."

Sandy sighed, "Oh, alright, let's get going."

"Going so soon? But I'm just getting warmed up!" Pitch chuckled as he emerged from the shadows. He shot a stream of black sand at Andy so fast that Andy didn't have time to react, he could only watch in fear as the sand came straight for him.

"JJ!" Andy closed his eyes, and thought of those he loved. No, he couldn't give in, not now, not when so many people needed him to stay alive, to stay who he is. He opened his eyes, just in time to see little balls of light get between him and the black sand. Everyone stared at him in shock, even Pitch.

"So now you're getting powers," growled Pitch.

"Better late than never," retorted Andy.

Sandy stepped between them, "JJ, get the toys and get out of here! Sandy and I will cover you!"

"Thank you," whispered Andy as he placed the backpack on the ground. The toys piled in, Buzz being the last one.

"Buzz Lightyear, you take care of JJ, you hear!"

"Yes ma'am!" Buzz saluted her before ducking into the backpack so Andy could zip it up. The Sandy's engaged Pitch Black, allowing their protege ample time to get away. Andy took one last, loving look at the now burning house that was being turned into a loving home. He hoped MK would be alright, and that he would be able to explain it all to her one day.

He made the last bus out of the city that evening and set his sights on Sleepy Hollow. The strange thing about Andy was, though he was scared of the king of scary, he still enjoyed a good ghost story. Sleepy Hollow had always been the place he had wanted to see, and now he was getting his chance. He let out a sigh, unfortunately, it was at the cost of separating himself from his loved ones. He glanced up at the moon, glowing so brightly.

"Keep an on them, please, Manny. I need to know that they're safe." He finally laid down his head and closed his teary eyes, hoping, praying, that he would be able to see his family again.


	17. An Odd Homecoming

JJ eventually told Jamie and Jack what happened the night he disappeared from the fire. And Jack finally told JJ about Rapunzel's situation, after several attempts and deep breaths. JJ took it all in a stunned silence as MK and Jamie added a few details. Not another word was said until they had stopped for lunch, nearly a few hours away from Cedar Grove.

"So, you're saying Justin's telling the truth?" JJ asked.

Jack nodded, "He has no reason to lie."

"But, I think you've finally got him thinking that it wasn't you he saw," remarked MK.

"Yeah, that's what's scary, because if it wasn't Dad he saw, then who was it? And how could he look so much like Dad?"

Jack shrugged, "I don't know, the only thing that could be similar to this is a nightmare."

"What? Like a waking nightmare?" JJ winced. "Sorry, dear."

JJ smiled sadly, "It's OK, it would have been worse if the Sandy's hadn't gotten me out of there when they did."

"Um, I don't, I don't want you to relive any horrible memories, but, besides getting back at me, why did Pitch take you? Didn't Gothel want to keep you to find out if you were her key to eternal youth?"

"Yeah, that's the thing, my powers weren't working fast enough for her, so she let Pitch take me. He, he was going to turn me into his darkling prince." Jack uttered a shaky gasp and glanced down. "Dad, listen, it wasn't your fault . . ."

"It is my fault that he hates me, and that could have fueled some of his treatment of you. I mean, come on, Rapunzel and I were given power by the sun and the moon for crying out loud, his worst enemies. I mean, yes, this has just been a series of, of . . ."

MK sighed, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but, I think you mean a series of unfortunate events."

Jamie snickered, "Wow, Mom, referencing a series isn't all that bad."

Jack smirked, "Yeah, but, it's the best term to use for this, as that is what this all is, a series of unfortunate events. Sometimes it seems like it has been orchestrated by one person with an agenda, sometimes, it's just a bunch of freak accidents with no one to blame it on. But I do believe that his treatment of you could have been fueled by his hate of me in particular, and for that I am sorry. I am also sorry for not being more diligent, I should have known that Gothel and Pitch would have been back at the first chance they had, but, I was so happy at being able to be with your mom and you that, that I practically let them in myself."

"Well, if it helps, I don't blame you for anything, but, if you're going to just beat yourself up over it every single time, then, I forgive you. And, right now, we are so close to being back together again, we just need to get Mom's memories back, and we're complete. I have been waiting for this moment my whole life, I am not going to let your regrets ruin it for me, alright?"

"What? You mean you can't let your old man pour out his sob story? OK, that sounded weird."

JJ began to laugh, "Oh boy, did it ever!"

"Hey! I want no flak from you, young man! Oh no, I'm starting to sound like a grandpa!"

Jamie snickered, "Well, technically you are. And having both Jack Frost and Hiccup Haddock as my grandpas is the coolest thing ever!"

"Glad you think so, squirt. Oh, and speaking of . . . wonder how Hiccup's going to take meeting you."

JJ chuckled nervously, "Uh, what do you mean?"

"Well, you kind of did break his little girl's heart, so, you know, prepare for the meeting of the in-laws."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," smiled MK.

JJ chuckled, "I don't think I need protecting from your dad, MK, in fact, I probably deserve every single bit of reprimand he sends my way."

"Andy . . ."

He shook his head, "No, I'll take it, I did break your heart after all."

"Not, not really, I mean, it really hurt a lot thinking that you were dead, but, you really didn't technically break my heart. You never saw another girl in Sleepy Hollow, did you?"

JJ shook his head, "How could I? You were the only one for me."

"See? My heart would have been only broken had you fallen in love with another woman."

"Yeah, but, your dad's not exactly going to think that way," pointed out Jack.

"He's got a point there, MK. But like I said, I deserve it, I did leave you two stranded in Burgess without a single word to my whereabouts, making everyone think I was dead."

"But, you had good reason. I mean, it worked, didn't it? Pitch didn't come looking for us, he's still looking for you, isn't he?"

"Last the toys checked, yeah," nodded JJ.

Jack rose from his chair with a stretch, "Well, all the more reason to get back to Cedar Grove pronto. Let's go."

"Right," the others agreed and followed him out to the car. MK took the final leg of the journey, getting them back into Cedar Grove around seven.

"Let's treat Dad to a meal at Goodie Tree!" exclaimed Jamie.

MK glanced at Jack, "What do you think?"

"I think that you'll be letting me take the tab, aren't you?"

MK grinned, "Goodie Tree it is!"

JJ and Jamie laughed as Jack groaned, "How did I guess."

"Well, it certainly doesn't help that you are the richest man in town," winked MK.

Jack chuckled, "That is true. Alright, Goodie Tree it is."

Jamie whooped, "Yes!" MK slowed down the car as they entered Cedar Grove so that JJ could get a look at the town. They drove through a couple of times, allowing Jamie, Jack and MK to give JJ quite the tour of the place. When it came to Jack's shop and the art studio next door, Jack was more than willing to talk JJ's ear off about his shop, but he basically clammed up when it came to the art studio. Especially when they saw someone coming out of it.

"Rose?" called out MK. She glanced up sharply, a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Oh, um, MK, right?"

"Yeah, that's me. You remember Jack and Jamie?"

"Oh, y-yes, yes, I do. Hello again."

"Hi!" smiled Jamie as he waved. Jack just smiled at her and nodded cordially.

"Nice to see you. Um, who's that?"

"Oh, hi, um, I'm JJ." Rose glanced at him strangely.

"Why, why does that name seem so familiar?" Jack let out a soft gasp.

"Well, it's a pretty common nickname . . ."

"No, I've, I've heard it before."

"Why don't you come with us? We're heading to Goodie Tree for dinner before heading home. Maybe we can figure it out there," suggested MK.

"That, that would be lovely, but, but I can't."

"Why not?" asked JJ.

"Jack's paying for it!"

"Oh, really? Well, I guess I can go then, see, I'm not very rich. Oh, thank you." Jack had gotten out of the car and opened the door for her. He closed it and got in on the other side, Jamie sitting in the middle.

"If you want, I can pay for some of your expenses. I have more money than I know what to do with it."

"Oh, why thank you, that's very kind of you, but I wouldn't want to impose . . ."

"It's no problem whatsoever. I seriously have more than I need, I want to help you."

"Oh, well, thank you, I appreciate that a lot!"

Jack smiled, "You are most welcome."

"Alright, we're here. Let's see if we can break Jack's bank account," smirked MK.

"Hey!" The others laughed as they got out of the car. Jack leaned in and whispered to JJ, "You picked very well." He winked at JJ as he blushed a bit.

"Well, you didn't do so bad yourself, with mom."

"Well yeah, you wouldn't be here if I didn't do so well." JJ chuckled as they found a table and ordered. They sat and chatted, eventually getting Rose to warm up to them and join in the conversation as they ate. They were just about finished when they were started by a shout.

"Yeehaw, Andy's back! I mean, JJ's back!"

JJ got up in shock, "Jessie? Woody? Bo Peep? You're here? Oh, right, you were, but, how . . ."

"Wait, you know Sheriff Woody, Deputy Jessie, and Bo Peep?" asked Jamie.

JJ glanced at him, "Well, yeah. Um, Jamie, are they in _A Faraway Land_?"

"Well, now that you mention it, no, they're not," Jamie slowly stated.

Jack quickly laid down a few bills, "Well, it's been a lot of fun. I'll see you first thing in the morning, right, JJ?"

JJ blinked in surprise, "Uh, yeah, I guess. But, why are you leaving so soon?"

"Well, I'm getting tired, and I figured I'd walk Miss Rose home."

"Oh please, you don't need to . . ."

"I'd be honored," smiled Jack with a bow.

"Well, it would be nice. Thank you," she smiled.

"It's my pleasure," he replied, giving her his arm. She took it, and they left the restaurant.

"OK, so, where's Buzz and the others?" asked Jessie.

"And Slinky, I know your dad took him," pointed out Woody.

"Oh, they're out in the car," replied JJ as he walked towards the door.

"Wait, were they your toys too?" asked MK.

"Your toys?" exclaimed Jamie when Woody, Jessie and Bo nodded.

"Well of course they were JJ's toys. You couldn't find them in the book, could you?" came Mr. Potato Head's voice. JJ, MK, Jamie, and Ella stood there, staring in shock as a life-sized Buzz Lightyear walked in the door, the backpack in his hands with the other toys. They all had grown a bit too, but not as much as Buzz.

"Buzz!" exclaimed Jessie as she rushed to him and gave him a big hug.

"What? How? How did you get so big, but none of the others?" They all shrugged.

"We really don't know, we climbed out of the backpack to get some air . . ."

"More like Rex did," grumbled Mr. Potato Head.

"What? I couldn't breathe!"

"The next thing we know, we all got a little bigger."  
"Maybe the Sandy's might be able to tell us something more," suggested MK.

"Yeah, but, they've already closed up shop." Everyone glanced at Ella. "They came in for a quick bite a couple of hours ago, wanted to head out to see if they had another secret stash of Tooth Fairy feathers. They said that they will be back tomorrow at the regular hours"

JJ sighed, "Alright, guess I'll have to check in on them tomorrow after talking with Dad."

"Yeah, but, where are they going to stay? We can't take them with us to Mom and Dad's, there won't be enough room."

"They can stay with us! Woody, Bo, and I have got plenty of room!"

"Are, are you sure?"

Woody nodded, "Sure, it'll be great to have the whole gang back together again! I'd extend the offer to you too, JJ, but, I think you'd want to spend some time with your family."

JJ smiled, "That's right, I do. Thanks Woody."

"Anything for my old partner." Woody turned to the other toys, "Well, shall we be off? I think everyone's had a long day."

"Yeah, no kidding. Do you have any idea what it's like having to be in a backpack with the likes of him for days?" Mr. Potato Head pointed to Rex.

"Potato Head!" Woody and Buzz berated him.

"What? It's true!"

"Let's just get going. We'll meet you at your Dad's place tomorrow, JJ."

"Right, see you tomorrow!" JJ waved to his toys. JJ let out a breath as he turned to MK and Jamie, "Our turn now?"

MK smiled, "Yeah, let's go home."


End file.
